Cypress releases latest version of PSoC Designer IDE

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. introduced PSoC Designer 5.4, a new version of its Integrated Design Environment (IDE) for the PSoC 1 Programmable System-on-Chip architecture.

The new version includes more than 40 new or enhanced User Modules, which are free “Virtual Chips,” represented by an icon, that are used to integrate multiple ICs and system interfaces into a single PSoC device. Version 5.4 also offers multiple new features to make designing with PSoC faster and easier, including an Auto-Complete feature that automatically suggests variables, functions, and keywords as users type. The version marks another significant first for PSoC Designer, as it now allows customers to create their own User Modules, with complete control over the hardware, firmware, and graphical user interface.

Version 5.4 includes three new SmartSense User Modules that simplify usage of Cypress’s industry-leading CapSense capacitive touch-sensing technology. The new SmartSense2X_EMC User Module supports both the CY8C2xx45 and CY8C28xxx PSoC 1 families. SmartSense2X_EMC not only saves time by automatically tuning capacitive sensors and dynamically adjusting the tuning during operation, it also increases end-systems’ immunity to electromagnetic interference, providing the ability to operate in high-noise environments.

Other key new user modules include a programmable current source and a scanning successive approximation analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC). Instead of having to manually configure the hardware and firmware, users can simply drag and drop the scanning SAR ADC into their design to have it automatically measure voltages on any number of inputs. Users can download PSoC Designer 5.4 free of charge at www.cypress.com/psocdesigner.